My fanfiction-ing friends tell me that the first chapter is always the hardest. I suppose they were right, seeing as I wanted to kill myself over this damn thing. This is a failed attempt at a Mortal Instruments fanfiction ^^; ... reviews are appreciated. I WELCOME CRITICISM :o I'm a tough girl (lie), I can take it (probably).
...
"The Psychotic Peppermints?"
"The what?"
"What? Alliteration not catchy enough?"
"No, Simon, I just think it's a pretty crappy name for a band."
Simon Lewis grunted in exasperation. "You know, you'd think that after five months, we'd have a name at least. A little more encouragement would be nice though, Maia."
Maia tossed her neatly braided dark hair back from her face whose expression was twisted into a frown. She still managed to look pretty though. "Simon, are you sure you're doing the right thing?"
"What do you mean?"
They were seated on the Lewis' living room couch. Well, sinking down between the couch's shabby grey cushions rather than sitting. Maia's feet were propped up on a chipped oak coffee table, tattered copies of KERRANG magazine scatted across the scratched surface. Across the room from the table was a second-hand television and VCR playing re-runs of The Big Bang Theory. The room's only lamp in the corner was glowing dully and as it was around seven o'clock in the evening on October the second, it provided as little light as the cloudy sky outside the window.
"Well, Simon, you're a vampire now." Maia said.
"...nicely observed Maia," Simon raised a single eyebrow. "I have been a vampire for the two months you know-"
"All right, smartass, I wasn't finished," Maia rolled her eyes at him. "I meant-"
"Uh, please get your purple socked feet off of my KERRANG magazines thank you." Simon nudged her feet with his own. She was ripping the front cover of last month's edition. It was Hayley Williams and Simon was none too chuffed with Maia's smelly (and they were smelly) feet all over her face.
"Urgh, why don't you just pin up those pictures of your precious Hayley?" Maia scowled and removed her feet roughly, scattering other magazines onto the floor.
"Because I don't want pins in her gorgeous hair, thanks, pick those up, will you?" Simon snatched up the rest with a rustle and piled them onto the magazine rack next to the couch.
Maid picked up a random KERRANG on the floor and scanned the cover. "Ok, this is freaky. What the hell has he – is it a he or a she? – got on his head?"
"That's Slipknot, don't diss them, Maia. They're hardcore." He grabbed it off her swiftly, and she tossed the rest at him. "And it's a he."
"Back to what I was saying – Simon, isn't this all just a bit stupid? I mean, going back to your old life. You know that things can't go back to the way they were-"
"I've been getting on pretty fine for the last two months Maia," Simon said stiffly. "Maybe you haven't been able to go back to your old life but I'm different from other vampires, you know that."
"Yeah, but Simon, I don't want to go back. You do. But your mum and Rebecca don't even know that you're a vampire." Maia bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.
"Do they need to?" Simon's voice had pretty much gone dead (along with the rest of him). Maia could tell that he hated talking about this. She knew he had already had this conversation with his best friend Clary but she thought maybe she could talk some sense into him.
"Well, yeah because in ten years when you should be twenty six, they're going to notice that you still look sixteen years old."
"It's up to me when I tell them, if I do tell them, Maia," Simon stood up swiftly and left the room without once looking at her. Maia exhaled sharply and followed him through to the kitchen.
"Look, I don't mean to pry or anything, but if you want to still be connected with your previous life, then I think you should at least tell your mum and Rebecca." She scrutinised him with sharp eyes as he leant against the kitchen counter, hands gripping the edge tightly, his brunette hair falling over his equally dark eyes. He didn't look at her. Or say anything. If it wasn't for his slight, unnecessary breathing she could hear clearly through her werewolf eyes, she'd have thought he had died. Which he had, but not totally.
"Hey..." Maia said softly, approaching him cautiously. She smiled faintly at his I'M WITH STUPID t-shirt. She hadn't really cared much about what guys wore, but she always paid attention to Simon's witty t-shirts. She was right in front of him now, close enough that their noises were inches apart. He still didn't look up though. She remembered the mark underneath his fringe. She itched to look at it, despite the fact she despised it. She hesitated before reaching up with one hand.
Simon gripped her wrist in one swift movement. He still hadn't looked up. "Don't." He murmured.
"Ouch." Maia muttered. Normally she'd have ripped her hand from his cold grip, but she didn't. She grabbed his wrist back. As they stood for a few moments in silence, holding the other's wrist, Maia realised that they were almost holding hands. She wished they were.
"Simon?" a voice rang from the living room.
"Damn it." Maia scowled. Simon's head snapped up and dropped her wrist just as sharply just in time for Isabelle Lightwood to appear in the doorway.
She wore white jeans, fitting perfectly on her long legs, black boots and a tight fitting black vest. A ruby pendant lay on her chest. Thick, shiny black hair tumbled down her back like ivy, and piercing blue eyes surveyed the room before her with a look of authority. She looked like an angel in the doorway, brightening up the dim room with white light radiating from her. Maia knew she was anything but angelic. She still felt a stab of jealousy as she wasn't stupid enough not to recognise that Isabelle was incredibly beautiful. No wonder Simon preferred her.
"Maia?" Isabelle's expression blanked for a moment before regaining her previous look of superiority. "What're you doing here?"
Leaving. Maia longed to snap at her, but, she didn't want to leave Simon alone with her, so, she shrugged. "Just hanging out with Simon."
"Ah," Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Well, I came by to hang out with Simon also."
Sure you did.
Simon still hadn't said anything. He was just looking at Isabelle with a soft expression. Isabelle didn't say anything either. She just held his gaze steadily. Almost a whole minute passed.
Maia wanted to vomit.
"Screw hanging out. I'm going home Simon, ok?" Maia thrust both hands in her jeans' pockets and turned to leave the room.
"Ok." Simon murmured.
Ouch. Maia blinked away furious tears as she crossed the room curtly, edged past Isabelle and left, slamming the front door with a bang, leaving Simon and Isabelle trapped in each other's eyes.
...
As soon as Maia left, Isabelle was across the room in a flash with her arms around Simon, her face buried in his left shoulder, breathing into his neck.
"Isabelle-"
"Call me Izzy."
"Izzy," Simon sighed, leaning his head against hers. "You were just over here yesterday-"
"What, I can't visit as often as that?" Isabelle looked up, her pink glossed lips in the form of a pout. "Don't you want me here?"
"It's not that I don't want you here Izzy, I do. It's just that if you just suddenly turn up when my mum or sister's in-"
"I can make up an excuse on the spot. I'll tell them I'm your girlfriend," She grinned, flashing straight white teeth. "I want to meet them anyway."
"Like they'll believe me," Simon snorted. Which he regretted. Snorting wasn't a particularly attractive trait he had one of the most attractive girls he had ever met with her arms around him. "They both thought I was gay for years before I started dating Clary."
"Why wouldn't they believe you?" Isabelle's forehead creased slightly.
"Cause, well, you know," Simon knew that if he could blush, he would've. "You're like beautiful and I'm, well, Simon."
Isabelle blinked in surprise at him before throwing back her head and laughing. "But, I like Simon. Simon's pretty hot if I'm to be honest."
"Ha, ha..." he was definitely on the verge of stuttering as Isabelle's arms tightened around him. "I wouldn't say that-"
"Where are your mum and Rebecca anyway?"
"They're out getting the messages-"
"Well, well," said an amused sounding female voice other than Isabelle. Simon whipped his head round so fast that it would've cricked if he was alive.
"Rebecca?"
Simon's fifteen year old sister grinned mischievously at him. Small for her age and skinny like her brother, her dark tresses scraped back from her face with a pink hair band and her coffee coloured eyes shined, expressing excitement. Pink combats slung low on her hips, matching NIKE trainers on her feet and a plain white t-shirt pulled over her flat stomach. Bulging plastic bags rustled as they swayed from her palms as she leaned against the doorframe, watching them gleefully.
"Hey Simon, I know you've been legal for almost a year now, but in our crap filled kitchen? Thought you had more class than that big brother." She smirked.
"I-I- We weren't doing anything!" Simon spluttered indignantly. He tried to wriggle out of Isabelle's unyielding arms.
Crap, she's strong. I'm a bloody vampire though! ... Bad choice of words there, Simon.
"Sure," Rebecca snortedcrossing over to the kitchen table and shrugging off the carrier bags as Simon broke free from Isabelle's reluctant arms. Instead she stood beside him, leaning against the counter, her shoulder pressed up against his.
"Rebecca, where's Mum?"
"Unloading the rest of the shopping," she waved a hand carelessly at him. "So, you gonna introduce us or what?"
"Yeah, Simon, introduce us," Isabelle nudged her elbow to his upper arm, winking with a sly grin on her face. He resisted the urge to scowl at her and turned back to Rebecca.
"Isabelle, this is my brat of a sister Rebecca. Rebecca, this is my friend Isabelle Lightwood-"
"Friend?" Rebecca scoffed and Isabelle exclaimed resentfully in unison as Mrs Lewis entered the room.
With the exception of her tired expression, and her dark grey-streaked hair was scooped back hastily in a ponytail and sea-grey eyes, Caroline Lewis was just another duplicate of her two children. She wore worn blue jeans with a black cardigan wrapped around her. Slung on her arms were more carrier bags as she struggled to get through the doorway with them all.
"Let me help you Mum." Simon hurried over to her, relieving her of the majority of bags.
"Thank you, dear," Mrs Lewis smiled weakly at him. "I've just been a little frazzled lately."
Isabelle saw Simon bite his lip. She knew what he was thinking. That it was his fault his mum was worn out recently. Since he had been away from home for so long, turning into a vampire, going to Alicante (against his will), his family, school teachers and friends had obviously noticed his disappearance. Magnus Bane had done them a "favour" and cast a spell over all those in Simon's life so that they would carry on without realising Simon's absence. The magic had started taking its toll on Mrs Lewis' health.
"Go and sit down Mum, Rebecca and I will unload the stuff-"
"Don't be silly Simon, I'm not nearly old enough to have to-" Mrs Lewis cut herself off when her eyes rested upon Isabelle. Her mouth shaped into a small O.
"Yeah, that's Simon's friend," Rebecca sniggered and Simon shot her a dark look. "Just repeating what you said, brother dearest." She teased.
"Hello Mrs Lewis," Isabelle smiled at the older woman, "I'm Isabelle Lightwood. Let me help you with those bags Simon."
"H-hello Isabelle," Mrs Lewis said, looking bewildered at this beautiful young woman helping her gangly son unpack tins of HEINZ beans. "How do you know my Simon?"
"We-"
"I met Simon at one of his band gigs at the Knitting Factory. I was right at the front and I lassoed him with my, er, whip. Didn't I, Simon?" she cut Simon off, throwing a dazzling grin his way. He couldn't help it. He smiled back.
"Whip?" Mrs Lewis' eyes widened in shock.
"Ooh, saucy," Rebecca said gleefully. "Never knew you had it in you, big brother!"
"She's kidding," Simon crouched down to the lower cupboards and stocked them up. "We met at a gig. We bonded over music."
"Yeah, I just love Parawhore," Isabelle lied eagerly. Truth be told, she knew almost nothing of Simon's interests. She had just heard him mention a few bands and she found Parawhore a particularly memorable title. "I'm totally into that rock stuff-"
"Para-what?" Mrs Lewis snapped her head round to glare at Simon who chuckled nervously.
"She means Paramore don't you, Izzy?"
"Crap, yeah that's what I meant," Isabelle smiled warily. "Paramore."
Well done Isabelle, well done. She thought bitterly. Not a very good first impression the mother of my...what? My friend? My boyfriend?
Isabelle's switched her gaze from Mrs Lewis to her son. With his back to her, he was chatting away to his mum and sister about his band and no, they still hadn't decided upon a name. He a bit more perked up. His pale lips turned up into a smile, and his nose crinkled as he laughed. He had certainly changed since he had become one of the Night Children. He was far paler, slimmer and more graceful in the way he moved. Which definitely wasn't one of his traits before. She distinctly remembered him stepping on her toe whilst dancing at Magnus Bane's party. Before she got him turned into a rat.
She still felt a surge of guilt in the bottom of her stomach when she remembered that. When she thought about it, she knew it was really her fault Simon was changed into a vampire. If he hadn't transformed into a rat, he wouldn't have been stolen by that vampire, Clary and Jace wouldn't have had to go after him and he wouldn't have bit Raphael to save Jace's life.
Damn, it was me that messed up his life. Isabelle bit her bottom lip and bowed her head, her dark hair falling over her shoulder. She stayed like that for a while, unnoticed, across the room from Simon and his family. She knew that Clary and Simon had conversed about telling his family about his, er, condition. He had brushed her off, refusing to talk about it. Isabelle could see why.
Simon looked extremely happy with his family. Isabelle knew that Mrs Lewis probably depended on him a lot. And when she and Rebecca discovered Simon was a vampire, he feared that she might reject him, turf him out. It didn't help that they were a Jewish family. But he also knew that they wouldn't get by as well.
Isabelle Lightwood also knew Maia had been encouraging him to tell them. She had agreed (not that she would tell her) with her, but she didn't want to pressure Simon into anything. Perhaps she wouldn't say anything and let him and his family be. She wondered if she should leave now.
"Hey, Izzy?" Simon called from across the kitchen. Isabelle glanced up to see it was just the two of them in room. "We're all done here, do you want to-"
"Yeah, I'm just leaving Simon," Isabelle said hastily, edging over to the door. "I promise I won't just randomly drop by again-"
"Wait, what?" Simon's wrinkled his nose, looking puzzled. "No, Isabelle, I was going to ask if you wanted to come up to my room."
"Oh".Isabelle stopped short, feeling a little abashed as Simon walked towards the doorway, gesturing for her to follow.
She expected Mrs Lewis and Rebecca to be seated in the living room instead to find it empty.
"Where are they?" she asked as she followed Simon into the hallway, tripping over a worn pair of brown slippers next to the stairway, then clutching at his arm to steady herself.
He gripped her elbows as she straightened up, with one foot already on the bottom stair. "Watch," he muttered. "I'm always getting told to move the damn things. Ha. I'm not the only damned thing in this household." he said with a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, Simon." Isabelle whispered.
"About?" he said, perplexed.
"The whole vampire thing-"
"We're not getting into this again," he said firmly. "It's already been done and there's nothing neither I nor you nor anyone else can do about it, Isabelle," As he looked down on her, he saw her unnaturally bright eyes, full of guilt, blinking at him. "It's fine, Izzy." His tone softened.
As she continued to nibble away at her bottom lip, he pulled her up a couple more stairs and said: "Mum and Rebecca are out again by the way," he grinned. "And you can drop by the house anytime you like..."
...
Aha, yeah. It's pretty short. Like i said, i wanted to kill myself over this. I made it short and sweet to start it off (well, i tried). Remember, reviews, criticism etc are much appreciated and welcome :D I like to create soundtracks for stories, i had "Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin stuck in my head the whole time i wrote this. Not that it has anything to do with the story... x